Structure for use in hydraulic engineering.



w. v. mason. STRUCTURE FOR USE IN HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 14, 1908.

2 sums-sum 1.

/J f F/GZ;

WITNESSES.

THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wnsumaron. n. cy

W. V. JUDSON. STRUCTURE FOR USE IN HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, 190B.

Patented May 11, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w/ /vsss v piers, retaining walls, dock fronts and the i that whenfloating the planes of its top UNITED 'STATPES PATENT ormon WILLIAM V..TUDSON, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

STRUCTURE FOR USE IN HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING.

No. 921,545. Specification of- Letters Patent. Patented May 11, 1909.

Application filed December 14, 1908. Serial No. 467,349.

T 0 all whom it may concern: vide such a caisson with an internal frame-Be it known that I, WVILLIAM V. JUnsoN, work forming one or morepartitions extendinajor, corps of engineers, U. S. Army, sta- 1 ingtherethrough from end to end to divide several comparttioned atMilwaukee, in the county of Mil its internal air space into have infments to receive different filling material, the

waukee and State of l/Visconsin, vented new and useful Improvements in lfront compartment, the one next to the front Structures for Use inHydraulic Engineer- .wall, being preferably filled with a low grade ing,of which the following is a description, 1 concrete to reinforce thewall of the caisson on g the water side and increase the effectivethickness of said wall to render the same heavier, stronger, moredurable and lasting. With the above and other objects in view theinvention consistsin the caisson for use in hydraulic engineering hereindescribed and 1 claimed, and all equivalents thereof. l Referring to theaccompanying drawings 5 reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in structures foruse in hydraulicengineering, such as foundations in water, revetinents,

The said invention consists of a reinforced concrete structure with orwithout cross walls, the walls and bottom so arranged as to produce airspaces and form a construction that will possess flotation, or which caneasily be floated by means of auxiliary floats so that it may beassembled upon the land or upon or in a dry dock and launched or floatedtherefrom and then towed or propelled into position over a prepared ornatl ural foundation where it may be sunk either by admission of waterinto the air chamber or chambers or by the addition of weights andsubsequently filled or partly filled with stone, sand, concrete or othermaterial. At the same time this structure, which may be called acaisson, shall possess such a shape and bottom will be approximatelyhorizontal, though when set in position its front side, which will beexposed to the water, may be vertical or inclined backward from thebottom up, while its rear side, which comes against the material to beretained, whether sand, stone, earth, or gravel, will be inclinedbackward toward the fill from the bottom upward or from a point near thebottom upward to the top or to a point near the top.

Another object of the invention is to pro- 1 in which like characters ofreference indicate the same parts in the different views; Figure 1 is atransverse vertical sectional view of a completed structure embodyingthe present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the caisson thereof;Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the caisson in its floatingposition and containing-a compensating ballast and a partitioningframework; Fig. a is a transverse sectional view of a completedstructure embodying the caisson of Fig. 3, with the front section of theinterior filled with concrete and the rear section filled with rock orother material and a portion of the framework l removed; and, Fig. 5 isa plan view of the caisson shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings the caisson of the present invention isshown as composedof concrete walls 10 containing metallicreinforcements 11 and forming anopen box-like receptacle, which, because of the air space 12 containedtherein, is capable of flotation to permit of its being easily andconveniently floated into position from its place of manufacture, whichmay be near or remote. When above its natural or prepared foundation 13it may be gradually sunk into position thereon by admitting water to theair space 12 or by otherwise filling its interior.

, A. distinguishing feature of the present invention is that therearwall of the caisson, the one against which the retained material 14bears, is inclined backwardly from the bottom up. It is also preferable,but not essential tothe objects of this invention, that the front wallshould be inclined rearwardly from the bottom up, to lie in an approxilmately parallel plane to the rear wall, though vide such a caisson witha sufficient amount of ballast filling when necessary to effect itsuprightness or flotation, this ballast preferably constituting a lowgrade concrete of such a quantity and disposed in such a posi tion as tocorrect the position of the center of gravity with relation to thecenter of buoyancy and cause it to maintain its upper surface in ahorizontal plane when floating.

Another object of the invention is to proit will be understood that theinvention contemplates a vertical front wall as well as one inclinedforwardly or rearwardly.

en the caisson is in position a filling 15 of stone or other heav rmaterial, such as sand, earth, concrete or gravel, or a composition ofthese materials, is placed in the interior thereof, and a cap 16 ofordinary construction or other object for which the caisson is toconstitute a foundation, is placed thereon.

The inclination of the front wall of the caisson is desirable for dockfronts and the like, and with it the inclination of the rear wall of thecaisson to a plane approximately parallel therewith serves to promotethe uprightness of fiotation, and under proper 0911-.

ditions as to the distribution of weight in the walls and the ho 'tom itwill require nothing in addition thereto to properly float and maintainits upper surface in a horizontal plane. However, when the proportionsof the caisson or the distribution of material therein causes it tofloat with its upper sur face at an angle to the horizontal, asufficient amount of ballast may be placed therein, preferably in theform of a low grade concrete 17 which may be disposed evenly over thebottom of the caisson or more to one side than the other as desired, tohave the result of lowering the center of gravity and effectivelyraising the center of buoyancy so as to correct the defect and renderthe caisson more stable with a tendency to maintain its upper surface ina horizontal plane.

Under some conditions it is desired to increase the effective thicknessof the front wall of the caisson which is exposed to the water, eitherto increase its strength to withstand the blows of vessels strikingthereagainst or to increase its body to longer resist the deterioratingeffect of sea water. With this object in view a partitioning frameworkmay be formed within the caisson to divide its interior into separatecompart ments to receive different filling materials so that thecompartment next to the front wall of the caisson may be filled with alow grade concrete 18 to form a reinforcement for the front wall of thecaisson and become in effect a part thereof. As shown in the drawings aframework suitable for this purpose comprises uprights 19, preferablywith their lower ends set into the concrete ballast 17, these uprightsbeing arranged along the inner surface of the front and rear walls ofthe caisson and also along an intermediate line, with brace beams 20fitted between them and a partition 21 formed on the intermediates'tandards 19 to divide the air space 12 into front and rearcompartments.

When the caisson has been lowered into position on the foundation 13 thefront compartment is filled with concrete 18, and when this is setthe'framework and partition may I be removed from the rear compartmentand the space filled with the stone or other filling l 15 or thisframework may remain to serve as a brace between the walls of thecaisson with the material 15 filled in around it.

It is obvious that when sunk the caisson has its upper surface slightlyabove the water level so that the concrete used in filling need not bedeposited in water.

The interior frame work may be utilized to resist a part of the waterpressure while the caisson is floating.

The inclination of the rear wall of the caisson as described will causethe filling 14 back of the caisson to support a part of the weight ofthe caisson while such retained material will lie in a slope more nearlyapproaching its angle of repose than it would if its front plane werevertical, thus reducing the work to be done by the revetment orretaining wall while at the same time somewhat relieving the foundationof the weight that would ordinarily be brought upon it by a revetment ofthis character. Thus both the foundation and the revetment may be ofless expensive construction. Furthermore the inclination of the backwall of the caisson to the rear removes the center of gravity of thecaisson and its filling and superimposed load farther to the rear. Theeffect of this shifting of the center of gravity rearwardly will be toremove the center of pressure farther back from the front toe of thecaisson, thus distributing the weights better upon the foundations.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A caisson constituting a unit in thebuilding construction of a sub-merged retaining wall or revetment,provided with a substantially horizontal bottom, a rear wall arranged atan obtuse angle to said bottom and with an air chamber to permit thecaisson to be floated into position, substantially as described.

2. A caisson constituting a unit in the building construction of asub-1nerged retaining wall or revetment provided with a substantiallyhorizontal bottom, a front wall arranged at an acute angle to saidbottom, a rear wall arranged at an obtuse angle to said bottom and anair chamber to permit the caisson to be floated into position,substantially as described.

3. A caisson constituting a unit in the building construction of asub-merged retaining wall or revetment provided with a substantiallyhorizontal bottom, front and rear walls each arranged at an angle tosaid bottom and parallel to each other, and an air chamber,substantially as described.

1. A caisson provided with an air chamber or chambers to permit of itsbeing floated into position to serve as a structure for hydraulicengineering, the rear wall of the caisson being inclined backward and aballast of concrete or the like within the caisson so arranged as toproduce uprightness of flotation thereof.

5. A caisson provided with an air chamber of the caisson inclinedbackward, a ballast Within the air space of the caisson of concrete orlike material, standards set into the ballast, beams connecting thestandards to form to permit of its being floated into position to 1 aframework within the air space of the cais- A serve as a revetment orfoundation for hyson, and a partition formed upon the frame draulicengineering, the rear wall of the caiswork and dividing the air space ofthe caisson being inclined backward, there being a son into front andrear compartments, the partition through the air chamber of the 1 frontcompartment being designed to recaisson to divide it into separatecompart- I ceive a filling of concrete or the like to reinments, thefront compartment being deforce and effectively enlarge the front wallsigned to receive a fillin of concrete to reinof the caisson and therear compartment beforce and efiectively en arge the front wall ingdesigned to receive other filling mateof the caisson and the rearcompartment derial.

signed to receive other filling material. In testimony whereof, I affixmy signa- 6. A reinforced concrete caisson provided ture, in presence oftwo witnesses.

with an air chamber so that flotation may WILLIAM V. JUDSON. be availedof to introduce it into position as part or all of a foundationor otherstructure for hydraulic engineering, with the rear wall WVitnesses:

R. S. C. CALDWELL, ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER.

